During the 2013 Rathbun v. Miscavige et. al. civil trial we traveled to New Braunfels, Texas to watch the pretrial proceedings. We saw Scientology’s 22 lawyers in the courtroom. There were so many Scientology attorneys that twelve of them had to be seated in the jury box. The case ended suddenly and suspiciously and fueled online speculation of a secret Scientology payoff to the Rathbun’s.
In the ongoing criminal trial of NXVIM defendants Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman, Allison Mack and others, the NXVIM legal defense team now has 29 lawyers. Scientology’s record for the most lawyers in a single cult legal case has officially fallen to the equally sinister NXVIM cult.
The lesson here is that while wealthy and bizarre cults can bring a staggeringly large legal team to trial, these cults can do absolutely nothing to shield themselves from the massive and irremediable reputational damage inflicted upon them by the vicious personal conduct of their narcissistic leaders such as David Miscavige and Keith Raniere.
NXVIM’s legal team includes criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos whom the Wall Street Journal today identified as a co-conspirator in Michael Avenatti’s $20 million extortion attempt against Nike. Avenatti was today arrested and charged in New York City. Geragos has not been arrested nor is there any indication that he will be charged.
The NXVIM Legal Team:
Keith Alan Raniere AKA Vanguard
1. Marc Agnifilo – Brafman & Associates, P.C.
2. Paul DerOhannesian II – DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian
3. Danielle R. Smith – DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian
4. Jacob Kaplan – Brafman & Associates, P.C.
5. Teny R. Geragos – Brafman & Associates, P.C.
6. Brian Poe – Fort Worth, TX
7. Teny Geragos
Allison Mack
8. Steven Kobre Kobre & Kim LLC
9. William F. McGovern Kobre & Kim LLC
10. Sean S. Buckley – Kobre & Kim LLC
Clare Bronfman
11. Dennis Burke –Ballard Spahr
12. John Sandweg
13. Mark Geragos
14. Susan R. Necheles – Hafetz & Necheles LLP
15. Kathleen E. Cassidy – Hafetz & Necheles LLP
16. Gedalia Stern – Hafetz & Necheles LLP
17. William Savino Wood Oviatt Gilman
18. Alexandra A.E. Shapiro
19. Fabien Manohar Thayamballi
Nancy Salzman AKA Prefect –– Pleaded Guilty on March 13, 2019
20. Michael J. Sullivan – Ashcroft Group
21. David Stern Franklin Rothman, Schneider, Soloway and Stern
22. Robert Soloway p Franklin Rothman, Schneider, Soloway and Stern
Lauren Salzman
23. Hector J. Diaz – Quarles & Brady, LLP
24. James L. Burke – Quarles & Brady
25. Andrea S. Tazioli Quarles & Brady
Kathy Russell
26. Justine Harris
27. Amanda Ravich
Dr. Brandon Porter and Dr. Danielle Roberts
28. Michael S. Kelton – Abrams Fensterman
Nicki Clyne
29. Edward Sapone – Sapone & Petrillo